Pilot explains what really happens if there's sudden emergency over the Atlantic

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

American Airlines pilot Steve revealed how he handles an emergency while going over the Atlantic Ocean. He spoke about the procedure with his 405,000 followers on TikTok
Ever wondered what pilots do if they ever hit a bumpy road when crossing the Atlantic Ocean? Luckily there is a genius way to predict turbulence before a flight but sometimes going over a huge stretch of the sea can be terrifying.
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Captain Steve, who works for American Airlines, often shares his wisdom on TikTok where he boasts 405,000 followers. And just recently he did a Q&A with his fans as one asked what really happens when there's a sudden issue over the ocean. The question asks: "I'll be flying from London to Florida, what happens if there's an issue mid-flight right over the middle of the Atlantic when there's nothing else nearby?"
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The pilot, who has previously flown for other major US and European airlines, including a stint in the US Navy flying P3 Orions, revealed how they're trained on stuff like this but would often just follow the tracks they've been assigned to.
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He said: "We're on what's called the tracks when we come over the North Atlantic and those tracks are assigned to different aircraft to keep them separated from each other and their separation in front of you and behind you and altitude separation.
"The middle of the North Atlantic is at 30 West and that's where we switch over from one oceanic controller to the next oceanic controller.
"That's typically about as far as you're gonna be from land at that point some of those tracks go way up North around by Iceland and Greenland so you've got diverts that you can go to there."
Fortunately a pilot would have Scotland or Ireland to go back to, if not the Maritimes on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
This means you're never more than two hours at most from a suitable alternate.
He continued: "If you've got a southerly track away from those airports lodges in the Azores is never really more than two hours away.
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"But we're always kind of checking our fuel, checking ours systems, that's what I'm doing up there when we're in the slow part of the flight.
"I'm always looking at my alternate, what's the weather, if I had to go, how would I get there in the most efficient manner?"
The pilot concluded the post: "That's all part of our training, so sit back relax, and enjoy your Diet Coke it will be just fine."
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His TikTok post prompted a discussion in the comments section as fans asked what would happen if the engine stops working.
Others asked what the protocol for an ocean landing would be.
Although Captain Steve hadn't responded to those replies, he is often confident pilots are trained for such circumstances which are still quite rare.
Recently he shared a 'genius' way to predict turbulence before a flight. He claimed there's an app called WSI which shows the entire route and all the waypoints along the way.